21 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight Even After Exercising Regularly
Are you not losing weight even though you exercise regularly?
Do you feel hopeless because no matter how much you sweat from your workouts, you’re still not losing that dreaded weight?
Does it feel like you’ve tried all the workout routines under the sun but you just can’t seem to shed the pound?
Here’s the thing: you’re not alone. Don’t give up just yet! It’s time to get your drive back.
In this article, we’ll look into some of the top reasons why you are not losing weight even when you workout diligently.
One or maybe even a few of these reasons below will most likely answer your question.
Let’s get started right away.
1. You don’t keep track of what you’re consuming
An important step towards weight loss is awareness. You must be aware and regularly keep track of what and how much you eat.
Done right, you will be more inclined to choose the best meals that will helps achieve your weight loss goals.
Besides, a study shows that self-monitoring, especially keeping a photographic food diary, is significantly correlated to losing weight.
There are several apps that can help you track what you eat. We use the LifeSum app.
2. You’re having too many calories
A study showed that people tend to underestimate and underreport their food intake.
You might be doing this unconsciously as well. But calorie overage is one of the common reasons for not losing weight.
The good news is there are calorie counters which are helpful tools that you can use to avoid such bad habit.
Dietary Guidelines suggest that calorie intake ranges from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for adult women. And 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day for adult men.
Below are the recommendations for different ages groups and gender
| MALES | |||
| AGE | Sedentary [a] | Moderately active [b] | Active [c] |
| 18 | 2,400 | 2,800 | 3,200 |
| 19-20 | 2,600 | 2,800 | 3,000 |
| 21-35 | 2,400 | 2,800 | 3,000 |
| 36-40 | 2,400 | 2,600 | 2,800 |
| 41-45 | 2,200 | 2,600 | 2,800 |
| 46-50 | 2,200 | 2,400 | 2,800 |
| FEMALES | |||
| 18 | 1,800 | 2,000 | 2,400 |
| 19-20 | 2,000 | 2,200 | 2,400 |
| 21-25 | 2,000 | 2,200 | 2,400 |
| 26-30 | 1,800 | 2,000 | 2,400 |
| 31-50 | 1,800 | 2,000 | 2,200 |
This is of course based on your level of activity:
Here’s the thing though: counting calories won’t do you any good if you don’t match it with calorie intake reduction.
Instead of cringing on slashing calories, eat low-calorie foods you can enjoy.
3. You eat highly processed carbs
Highly processed carbohydrates are associated with weight gain and ischemic heart disease.
It is also found to cause greater metabolic damage in overweight individuals than trans fat.
It’s no wonder why your weight won’t budge when you’re working out but you still consume processed carbs. Avoiding refined carbs will help you lose weight and have better overall health.
4. You don’t eat enough proteins
Protein is an important component of having a healthy weight loss.
Several studies have shown that a high-protein diet is effective at:
- promoting satiety
- reducing body fat
- maintaining weight after weight loss.
Not only will protein boost your metabolism, but it will also help suppress appetite.
You can obtain healthy proteins from fish and lean meat to fruits and vegetables.
5. You’re eating unhealthy fats
Fats are not entirely bad. There are healthy fats like the mono- and polyunsaturated fats and there exist the unhealthy ones such as the saturated and trans fats.
Aside from cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, these unhealthy fats bring calories that greatly contribute to weight gain as explained in this meta-analysis paper.
It’s wise to make sure that the fats in your next meal are only healthy ones.
6. You don’t eat whole foods
Numerous diet foods and supplements offer captivating weight-loss promises. But still, there’s no better diet approach to weight loss than eating whole foods.
Eating single ingredient, fresh-from-the-farm foods offer the maximum amounts of fibers and nutrients.
Since these bioactive components are negatively affected by food processing, you should, therefore, opt for whole foods or at least those that are minimally processed.
Furthermore, whole foods improve the body’s hydration which is crucial for exercising.
7. You’re addicted to junk food
Junk foods are sometimes just too hard to resist and nothing can make you satisfied unless you indulge in them.
This is because junk foods are inherently addicting. What’s worse is that it enhances mechanisms in the body which promote weight gain.
While it is okay to eat some at times, you should still limit your junk food intake and try to eradicate it from your daily diet to be on the safe side.
8. You binge eat
Binge eating is a common eating disorder especially in young ones. Studies show it can in weight gain and consequently, obesity.
As the famous line goes, “too much of everything is bad,” so you should be mindful of how much food you shove into your mouth, especially if it’s the unhealthy kind.
There’s no point in working out with weight loss as the goal only to reward yourself by binge eating afterward.
9. You wait too long for your next meal
Starving yourself before you eat may not be a good idea if you’re doing exercises to lose weight.
Having irregular meal times disrupt your body’s metabolism and circadian rhythm which may have adverse health and weight outcomes.
This may also lead you to binge eat once you do decide to eat. Plus, working out with an empty stomach could be dangerous for you.
One way is to cue your eating close to a habit that comes to you naturally. James Clear calls it Habit Stacking.
10. You eat too often
Even if you do not engage in binge eating but you do eat now and then, you’re still consuming large amounts of food cumulatively.
Although the potential health benefits of more frequent meals have been going on for quite some time, it’s weight loss effect is still controversial.
Having irregular meals also negatively affects the body’s metabolism which may contribute to weight gain.
11. You don’t practice mindful eating
Mindful eating is considered to be effective in preventing overconsumption.
Being mindful means to fully experience your environment – including your food – as well as your thoughts and feelings, letting them all occur with less judgment.
Mindful eating intervention for stress eating and weight management has been useful nowadays.
Truly, exercising and eating mindfully is a good combination to enhance self-regulation.
12. You skimp on water
Drinking water has so many health benefits. We all know that water is an essential component of life.
This is also true for a healthy weight and body in general.
A study reported that drinking 500 mL will result in a 30% increase in metabolic rate around 30 min after the water intake.
Another research suggested that to effectively lose weight, you should match your hypocaloric diet with 500 mL of water before a meal.
This is said to achieve a higher weight loss than a hypocaloric diet alone. So, from now on, make sure not to skimp and deprive your body of water.
Not only will it quench your thirst after working out, but it will also help you achieve your weight goals.
13. You’re drinking calories
This one could be pretty tricky since people usually only focus on calories from eating solid foods and tend to not mind what they get from drinking.
The fact is juices, soft drinks, and other highly processed beverages greatly contribute to your overall calorie intake. And of course, an excess of these liquids is also associated with weight gain.
Aside from what you eat, be wary of what you drink also especially that calories can come from in both solid and liquid nutrients.
13. You are drinking too much alcohol
Alcohol consumption puts you at risk of becoming overweight.
Regardless of the type of alcohol consumed, heavy alcohol intake – 15 drinks for males and 8 drinks for females a week – directly contributes to weight gain and obesity.
Practice occasional drinking and avoid being addicted to alcohol if you do not wish to have that beer belly.
15. You eat out too often
Many people would rather eat out or order food because let’s face it, preparing food yourself can be a little hassle.
If you’re one of these people, you need to stop this weight gain associated habit and start cooking for yourself.
Not only will this cost you a lot less, but preparing your food will also put you in control of the ingredients and the amount of food that’s just enough for you.
16. You are under a lot of stress
Uncontrolled stress is one of the reasons why losing weight is difficult.
Higher BMI and waist circumference as well as weight gain are all associated with high levels of psychosocial stress.
This may make you cope through stress eating. And if not controlled or if the stressor is not removed, this unhealthy eating will eventually result in weight gain.
17. You don’t regularly have enough sleep
Sleep plays a major role in metabolism. That’s why insufficient sleep greatly affects the body’s ability to burn calories.
Short sleep duration is therefore linked to weight gain and obesity. Indeed, workout for weight loss and lack of sleep is not a good match.
18. You don’t do enough cardio exercises
Cardio exercises, also known as aerobic exercises, are a must in weight loss programs.
Aerobic exercises are used as weight loss therapy in overweight and obese populations as it provides modest weight loss and waist circumference reduction.
Without cardio, your weight loss goal might take a while to achieve.
19. You’re not lifting weights
Resistance training such as lifting weights is known to burn fats along with weight loss.
Weight lifting should, therefore, be a part of your weight loss regimen as it also mainly develops your muscles and improves your body composition.
20. You’re taking medication that could have weight gain side effects
Weight gain could result as a side effect of a medication you’re taking.
Antipsychotic medications are infamous at causing adverse metabolic changes. They are often one of the key reasons for not losing weight as quickly as possible.
Contraceptive substances are also found to be associated with gain, especially in women.
21. You have a health condition that makes it harder for you to lose weight
Weight gain usually increases the risk for certain diseases. But that’s not all – there are other health conditions that can cause weight gain.
Some of these health conditions include:
Takeaway
Weight loss must come from both your workout sessions with a healthy diet and lifestyle. The reasons we’ve discussed could be why you are not losing weight.
Related: How to Maintain Weight Loss Without Dieting
Because as you may have already observed, most of these reasons why you’re not losing weight are related to diet.
This just proves that diet plays a crucial role in weight management. After all, we are what we eat.
